Sled ski

ABSTRACT

A sled has a body and two runners each connected thereto by braces secured at their ends to said body and the runner respectively, and a ski for each runner comprising an elongated strip of sheet metal bent to provide a base having a central longitudinal portion and downwardly extending longitudinal runner wings spaced apart transversely of said central portion and diverging from each other from their front ends to their rear ends and having upwardly projecting flanges at opposite sides of the sled runner and the braces, said flanges being drawn together above the runner and into snug engagement with the braces, and said central longitudinal portion and the downwardly extending diverging runner wings providing increased contact surface in snow.

Matthiessen SLED SKI [76] Inventor: Roy A. Matthiessen, 30 Sandy Hill ,Rd., Westfield, NJ.

[22] Filed: Sept. 8, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 178,642

[52] US. Cl 280/28, 28 0/l5, 280/22 [51] Int. Cl. B62b 13/121 [58] Field of Search 280/28, 11.13 A,

280/13,12 A, 15, 21,'l1.13 S, 22

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,824,746 2/1958 1 Schummer 280/28 2,453,767 11/1948 ,Thompson, 1 zso/zsx 3,518,351 I 5/1971 McAtee .l 280/28 2,016,187 10/1935 Vincent 280/28 3,120,963 2/1964' Seckel"; 280/28 3,534,972 10/1970 Salerno 280/1 1.13 S 2,829,902 3 4/1958 Stocker 280/18 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,285,809 l/l962 France 280/] 1.13 S

1111 3,751,057 1.451 Aug. 7,.1'973 74,793 12/1946 Norway 2s0/11.13s

Primary Examiner-Leo Friaglia Assistant Examiner-David M. Mitchell Att0rney1-larry B. Rook [57] ABSTRACT A sled has a body and two runners each connected thereto by braces secured at their ends to said body and the runner respectively, and a ski for each runner comprising an elongated strip of sheet metal bent to provide a base having a central longitudinal portion and downwardly extending longitudinal runner wings spaced apart transversely of said central portion and diverging from each other from their front ends to their rear ends and having upwardly projecting flanges at opposite sides of the sled runner andthe braces, saidflanges being drawn together above the runner and into snug engagement with the braces, and said central longitudinal portion and the downwardly extending diverging runner wings providing increased contact surface in snow.

5 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures minnows SHEET 2 OF 2 INVENTOR. 561/ fllj'ai ikz'uyez,

ATTORNEY SLED SKI BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION l. Field of the Invention This invention relates particularly to sleds and is directed especially to an attachment for a sled runner in the nature of a shoe or a ski.

2. The Prior Art Shoes formed of metal have been provided for attachment to sled runners after they have become worn or to protect them from wear; and there have been plastic shoes for sled runners to improve the sliding characteristics. Sheet metal ski attachments to increase the area of contact surface in snow have also been patented, for example by US Pat. No. 2,824,746.

However, the prior art devices leave much to be desired in that while they increase contact surface or improve sliding characteristics, they also increase the possibility of skidding of thesled, or they are difficult to apply to and remove from the sled runner, or they are complicated and too expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A primary object of the invention is to provide a sled ski which overcomes the objections to or disadvantages of the prior art devices and which is simple in construction inexpensive, easy to apply and remove to and from a sled runner, provides increased contact surface and improved sliding characteristics in snow and most importantly reduces the possibility of skidding of the sled.

Another object is to provide such a sled ski formed of a singleelongated strip of sheet metal bent along lon-' gitudinal lines and having a central portion and downwardly and outwardly extending longitudinal runner wings spaced apart transversely of said central portion diverging from each other from the front end to the rear, which wings have upwardly and longitudinally extending flanges to be disposed at opposite sides of the runner and the braces that connect the runners to the sled body and drawn together as by bolts to tightly secure the ski on the runner.

The invention also contemplates that said runner wings shall be formed to bite into the snow and operate in the nature of a plow to firmly engage the snow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES FIG. I is a side elevational view of a sled of generally known construction having applied thereto sled skis embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the sled and one of the two runners and its sled ski, a portion of the body of the sled and the other runner and its ski being omitted;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through one of the sled skis applied to one of the sled runners;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view approximately on the plane of the line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a similar view on the plane of the line 5-5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a transverse vertical sectional view on the plane of the line 6-6 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a rear end elevational view of one of the sled skis and a portion of its sled runner shown in transverse section on the plane of the line 7-7 of FIG. I, and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary plan view on an enlarged scale taken from approximately the plane of the line 8-8 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS For the purpose of illustrating the principles of the invention, the sled ski of the invention has been shown in connection with a known type of sled which includes a body A mounted on two metal runners B by a plurality of two braces C for each runner which have their upper ends rigidly connected to crossbars l of the body and their lower ends rigidly and permanently connected to the corresponding sled runner. As shown, each of the braces is approximately inverted V-shaped in side elevation and each of its legs 2 has a foot 3 secured as by welding to the runner B.

As usual, the runners are flexible so that they may be swung by the usual guide bar D which is rigidly connected to the guide link E which has its ends connected respectively at 4 to the body and at 5 to the cross frame piece 6 which connects the front ends of the two'runners. The runners have their forward end portions curved upwardly as indicated at 7.

The two sled skis F are identical, each comprising an elongated strip of sheet metal of a length somewhat shorter than the length of the runners and bent along longitudinal lines 8 and 8a to provide a longitudinal central portion-9 and downwardly and outwardly extending longitudinal runner wings I0 spaced apart transversely of said central portion and diverging from each other from the front end to the rear end, the distance between the runner wings at the front end of the ski, and the width of the central portion 9 being slightly greater than the width of the sled runner B as best shown in FIG. 4. Each runner wing includes an -upwardly and longitudinally extending flange 11 which is inclined inwardly of the ski toward the other flange.

The sheet metal of which the skis are formed hasinherent resiliency and in applying the skis to the runners, the flanges 11 are spread apart and slipped over the runners and then allowed to spring back in close proximity to the sides of the respective runners as shown in FIG. 4. The front ends of the skis are curved to conform approximately to the curved front ends 7 of the runners, and desirably the flanges 11 are trans-' versely slit as indicated at 12 to provide segments the edge of each of which overlaps one edge of the adjacent segment to facilitate bending of the ski. The skis are firmly secured to the runners, for example by bolts one of which designated 13 passes through openings 14 in the flanges with its head 15 abutting one flange and its nut 16 abutting the other flange whereby the flanges and the central portion 9 of the skis are drawn into snug contact with the sides and bottoms of the sled runners, respectively. Two other bolts 17 and 18 pass through openings in the flanges similar to the openings 14 and are disposed between the legs of the respective braces C as best shown in FIG. 3, and the bolts are tightened so as to draw the portions of the flanges engaged by the heads and nuts of the bolts toward each other between the brace legs so that the flanges firmly engage the brace legs and are prevented thereby from longitudinal movement on the runners as best shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

Preferably the rear ends of the flanges 11 are bent inwardly as indicated at 19 and best illustrated in FIGS.

7 and 8 into engagement with the sides of the sled runners so as to limit lateral motion of the skis relative to the runners.

Preferably the runner wings are inverted V-shaped in cross section and extend continuously from the front ends to the rear ends of the skis with their snow contact surfaces disposed below the transverse plane of the central portion 9 so that the runner wings bite into the snow and operate in the nature of a plow to firmly engage the snow with an antiskid action, and, in conjunction with the central portions 9, provide increased contact surface and improved sliding characteristics.

I claim:

1. In a sled, a body, a pair of runners each having a straight main portion and an upwardly curved front end portion, braces spaced apart longitudinally of the runners interconnecting said body and said runners, and a ski detachably connected to each of said runners, each ski comprising an elongated strip of resilient sheet metal bent along four longitudinal lines, the two inner lines of bending providing between them a longitudinal central portion abutting the bottom surface of the runner and providing also a runner wing projecting downwardly and outwardly from each of said inner lines of bending to the outer lines of bending, each wing also including a flange extending upwardly and inwardly from the corresponding outer line of bending with each flange at one side of the corresponding runner and the edge portions of said flanges in closely spaced relation to each other, the front end portions of said flanges being transversely slit to facilitate bending of thecentral portion and said flanges to conform to the upwardly curved front end portions of the runners, and fastening means for drawing said flanges toward each other and into snug contact with said braces and for simultaneously drawing said central portion into snug contact with the bottom surfaces of said straight portion and-the upwardly curved end portion of the sled runner.

2. In a sled as defined in claim 1 said runner wings of each ski diverging from each other from the front end to the rear end of the ski.

3. Ina sled as defined in claim 2, said braces having two legs in inverted V-shaped relation and with the extremities of said legs rigidly secured to the sled runner, and said fastening means including bolts passing through alined holes in said flanges and between said legs of said braces with their heads abutting one flange and their nuts abutting the other flange, and another bolt passing through alined holes in the front ends of the flanges to draw the slitted portions of the flanges together and into snug contact with the sides of the runner and simultaneously draw the front end of the central portion of the ski into snug contact with the upwardly curved front end portion of the runner.

4. A sled ski for a sled runner having a straight main portion and an upwardly curved front portion, said ski comprising an elongated strip of resilient sheet metal bent along four longitudinal lines, the two inner lines of bending providing between them a longitudinal central portion to abut the bottom surface of a sled runner and also providing a runner wing projecting downwardly and outwardly from each of the inner lines of bending to the corresponding outer lines of bending, each wing also having a flange extending longitudinally of the strip and upwardly and inwardly from the corresponding outer line of bending, the edge portions of the flanges being in closely spaced relation to each other to receive a sled runner between them, the front end portion of each flange being transversely slit to facilitate bending of the central portion and said flanges to confrom to the upwardly curved front end of a runner, and fastening means for drawing said flanges toward each other including bolts passing through alined holes in the main portions of the flanges and another bolt passing through alined holes in the front slitted end portions of the flanges, said bolts having their heads and nuts abutting the respective flanges.

5. In a sled as defined in claim 2 the rear ends of said flanges of each ski being bent along separate lines of bending so as to engage at least one point of each of said rear ends with opposite sides of the corresponding sled runner providing limitation of lateral motion of the rear ends of the skis relative to the runners.

# k i i 

1. In a sled, a body, a pair of runners each having a straight main portion and an upwardly curved front end portion, braces spaced apart longitudinally of the runners interconnecting said body and said runners, and a ski detachably connected to each of said runners, each ski comprising an elongated strip of resilient sheet metal bent along four longitudinal lines, the two inner lines of bending providing between them a longitudinal central portion abutting the bottom surface of the runner and providing also a runner wing projecting downwardly and outwardly from each of said inner lines of bending to the outer lines of bending, each wing also including a flange extending upwardly and inwardly from the corresponding outer line of bending with each flange at one side of the corresponding runner and the edge portions of said flanges in closely spaced relation to each other, the front end portions of said flanges being transversely slit to facilitate bending of the central portion and said flanges to conform to the upwardly curved front end portions of the runners, and fastening means for drawing said flanges toward each other and into snug contact with said braces and for simultaneously drawing said central portion into snug contact with the bottom surfaces of said straight portion and the upwardly curved end portion of the sled runner.
 2. In a sled as defined in claim 1 said runner wings of each ski diverging from each other from the front end to the rear end of the ski.
 3. In a sled as defined in claim 2, said braces having two legs in inverted V-shaped relation and with the extremities of said legs rigidly secured to the sled runner, and said fastening means including bolts passing through alined holes in said flanges and between said legs of said braces with their heads abutting one flange and their nuts abutting the other flange, and another bolt passing through alined holes in the front ends of the flanges to draw the slitted portions of the flanges together and into snug contact with the sides of the runner and simultaneously draw the front end of the central portion of the ski into snug contact with the upwardly curved front end portion of the runner.
 4. In a sled as defined in claim 2 the rear ends of said flanges of each ski being bent along separate lines of bending so as to engage at least one point of each of said rear ends with opposite sides of the corresponding sled runner providing limitation of lateral motion of the rear ends of the skis relative to the runners.
 5. A sled ski for a sled runner having a straight main portion and an upwardly curved front portion, said ski comprising an elongated strip of resilient sheet metal bent along four longitudinal lines, the two inner lines of bending providing between them a longitudinal central portion to abut the bottom surface of a sled runner and also providing a runner wing projecting downwardly and outwardly from each of the inner lines of bending to the corresponding outer lines of bending, each wing also having a flange extending longitudinally of the strip and upwardly and inwardly from the corresponding outer line of bending, the edge portions of the flanges being in closely spaced relation to each other to receive a sled runner between them, the front end portion of each flange being transversely slit to facilitate bending of the central portion and said flanges to confrom to the upwardly curved front end of a runner, and fastening means for drawing said flanges toward each other including bolts passing through alined holes in the main portions Of the flanges and another bolt passing through alined holes in the front slitted end portions of the flanges, said bolts having their heads and nuts abutting the respective flanges. 